Audio stream management for television content

ABSTRACT

Audio stream management techniques are described. In an implementation, a unique representation is generated by a client for each of a plurality of audio streams associated with television content received at the client. Each of the unique representations is displayed in a user interface at the client to be selectable by a user to cause output of a respective audio stream with the television content.

BACKGROUND

Traditional television content was provided from a single source ofaudio and video. Therefore, to output this traditional televisioncontent a user simply tuned a television to a particular channel tooutput the video and audio that was made available via that particularchannel. Although this technique was convenient, it was inflexible andrequired users to tune to different channels if different audio wasdesired. For instance, a user that desired to view the televisionprogram in a different language was forced to tune to another channel tooutput the television program in the different language, which may bedifficult to locate and thus inconvenient.

Although techniques were developed to provide for two audio sources witha single television program, these techniques often required manualinteraction on the part of the user each time different audio wasdesired. For example, a user may tune to a particular televisionprogram. To output desired audio, the user was forced to manually inputa selection of different audio. Further, the user was generally givenlittle if no information regarding the actual content included in theaudio sources, and therefore was not able to make an informed decisionas to what audio was being provided by respective audio sources andtherefore was often forced to listen to the different sources to make adetermination.

SUMMARY

Audio stream management techniques are described. In an implementation,a unique representation is generated by a client for each of a pluralityof audio streams associated with television content received at theclient. Each of the unique representations is displayed in a userinterface at the client to be selectable by a user to cause output of arespective audio stream with the television content

In another implementation, one or more computer-readable media includeexecutable instructions that are executable to configure data, whichdescribes one or more attributes of a plurality of audio streamsassociated with television content, to specify a particular one of theaudio streams to be used as a default. The configured data is includedwith the television content to be streamed to a client.

In a further implementation, a client includes one or more modules thatare configured to determine which of a plurality of audio streams tooutput that are associated with television content when an input isreceived to tune to the television content. The determination is basedat least in part on one or more locally-stored preferences. When thedetermination cannot be made based on the preferences, the determinationis based at least in part on data associated with the television contentindicating which of the audio streams is to be used as a default.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subjectmatter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanyingfigures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference numberidentifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. Theuse of the same reference numbers in different instances in thedescription and the figures may indicate similar or identical items.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an environment in an exemplaryimplementation that is operable to employ techniques to manage audiostreams.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of an exemplary system showing a head end anda client 104 of FIG. 1 in greater detail as streaming television contentassociated with a plurality of audio streams over a network connectionto the client.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of an exemplary implementation of a userinterface that outputs data that describes attributes of audio streamsassociated with television content.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of an exemplary implementation of a userinterface that outputs portions that are selectable by a user to choosefrom one of a plurality of audio streams to be output.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram depicting a procedure in an exemplaryimplementation in which data that describes attributes of audio streamsassociated with television content is configured to indicate a defaultaudio stream.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram depicting a procedure in an exemplaryimplementation in which a user interface is output to specify userpreferences that has unique representations of audio streams that aregenerated from data that describes the audio streams.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Overview

Traditional television content was provided from a single source ofaudio and video. Although this technique was convenient, it wasinflexible and required users to tune to different channels if differentaudio was desired. For instance, a user may initially tune to atelevision program broadcast on a particular channel with English audio.If the user desired to hear the television program in Spanish, the userwas forced to locate and then tune to a different channel having thetelevision program in Spanish. Although techniques were developed toprovide for two audio sources of audio with a single television program,these techniques often required manual interaction on the part of theuser each time different audio was desired, such as to manually tune toa different audio source each time a user tuned to a different channel.

Techniques are described to provide audio stream management. In animplementation, data that describes attributes of audio streams oftelevision content, such as that data included in a program map table,is used to enumerate, rank and order audio streams for output in a userinterface. A user may then specify preferences based on this informationwhich may then be used to manage subsequent consumption of televisioncontent. For example, audio streams for a plurality of televisionchannels may be automatically selected based on preferences specified bya user. In this way, the user is provided with seamless navigationdesigned to address the user's audio preferences.

In another implementation, a provider of the television content mayconfigure this data that describes the attributes to specify one of theaudio streams as a “default”. Continuing with the previous example, whenthe preferences of the user “cannot be met” as indicated by the datadescribing the attributes of the audio streams, the default streamspecified by the provider may be output. A variety of techniques may beemployed to specify a default audio stream, an example of which may befound in relation to the following figures.

In the following discussion, an exemplary environment is first describedthat is operable to perform techniques to manage audio streams oftelevision content. Exemplary procedures are then described that may beemployed in the exemplary environment, as well as in other environments.Although these techniques are described as employed within a televisionenvironment in the following discussion, it should be readily apparentthat these techniques may be incorporated within a variety ofenvironments without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

Exemplary Environment

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an environment 100 in an exemplaryimplementation that is operable to manage audio streams. The illustratedenvironment 100 includes a head end 102 of a network operator, a client104 and a content provider 106 that are communicatively coupled, one toanother, via network connections 108, 110. In the following discussion,the head end 102, the client 104 and the content provider 106 may berepresentative of one or more entities, and therefore reference may bemade to a single entity (e.g., the client 104) or multiple entities(e.g., the clients 104, the plurality of clients 104, and so on).Additionally, although a plurality of network connections 108, 110 areshown separately, the network connections 108, 110 may be representativeof network connections achieved using a single network or multiplenetworks. For example, network connection 108 may be representative of abroadcast network with back channel communication, an Internet Protocol(IP) network, and so on.

The client 104 may be configured in a variety of ways. For example, theclient 104 may be configured as a computer that is capable ofcommunicating over the network connection 110, such as a desktopcomputer, a mobile station, an entertainment appliance, a set-top boxcommunicatively coupled to a display device as illustrated, a wirelessphone, and so forth. For purposes of the following discussion, theclient 104 may also relate to a person and/or entity that operate theclient. In other words, client 104 may describe a logical client thatincludes a user, software and/or a machine.

The content provider 106 includes one or more items of televisioncontent 112(k), where “k” can be any integer from 1 to “K”. Thetelevision content 112(k) may include a variety of data, such astelevision programming, video-on-demand (VOD) files, and so on. Thetelevision content 112(k) is communicated over the network connection108 to the head end 102. In the following discussion, television contentmay also be referred to simply as “content”.

Television content 112(k) communicated via the network connection 108 isreceived by the head end 102 and may be stored as one or more items oftelevision content 114(n), where “n” can be any integer from “1” to “N”.The television content 114(n) may be the same as or different from thetelevision content 112(k) received from the content provider 106. Thetelevision content 114(n), for instance, may include additional data forbroadcast to the client 104, such as electronic program guide data, andso on.

The television content 114(n) is also illustrated as including aplurality of audio streams 116(1)-116(A). The audio streams116(1)-116(A) may be configured in a variety of ways, such as incompliance with RTP Payload Format RFC-2250, Motion Picture ExpertsGroup 2 (MPEG2) standard, and so on. For example, the plurality of audiostreams 116(1)-116(A) may be encapsulated with the television content114(n) in a transport stream that is communicated over the networkconnection 110 to the client 104.

The client 104, as previously stated, may be configured in a variety ofways to receive the television content 114(n) having the audio streams116(1)-116(A) over the network connection 110. The client 104 typicallyincludes hardware and software to transport and decrypt content 114(n)and audio streams 116(1)-116(A) received from the head end 102 forrendering by the illustrated display device and speakers.

The client 104 may also include digital video recorder (DVR)functionality. For instance, the client 104 may include memory 118 torecord television content 114(n) and audio streams 116(1)-116(A) astelevision content 120(c) (where “c” can be any integer from one to “C”)having audio streams 122(1)-122(S) received via the network connection110 for output to and rendering by the display device and speakers. Thememory 118 may be configured in a variety of ways, such as a hard diskdrive, a removable computer-readable medium (e.g., a writable digitalvideo disc), semiconductor based memory, and so on. Thus, televisioncontent 120(c) that is stored in the memory 118 of the client 104 may becopies of the television content 114(n) that was streamed from the headend 102.

The client 104 includes a communication module 124 that is executable onthe client 104 to control content playback on the client 104, such asthrough the use of one or more “command modes”, i.e., “trick modes”, totune to a particular channel, order pay-per-view content, and so on. Thecommand modes may provide non-linear playback of the content 120(c)(i.e., time shift the playback of the content 120(c)) such as pause,rewind, fast forward, slow motion playback, and the like.

The head end 102 is illustrated as including a content manager module126. The content manager module 126 is representative of functionalityto configure television content 114(n) and the audio streams116(1)-116(A) for output (e.g., streaming) over the network connection110 to the client 104. The content manager module 126, for instance, mayconfigure content 112(k) received from the content provider 106 to besuitable for transmission over the network connection 108, such as to“packetize” the television content 114(n) and the audio streams116(1)-116(A) into a plurality of streams that are encapsulated within atransport stream for distribution over the Internet, configuration for aparticular broadcast channel, map the television content 112(k) toparticular channels, and so on.

Thus, in the environment 100 of FIG. 1, the content provider 106 maybroadcast the television content 112(k) over a network connection 108 toa multiplicity of network operators, an example of which is illustratedas head end 102. The head end 102 may then stream the television content114(n) over a network connection 110 to a multitude of clients, anexample of which is illustrated as client 104. The client 104 may thenstore the television content 114(n) in the memory 118 as televisioncontent 120(c) and/or render the television content 114(n) immediatelyfor output as it is received, such as when the client 104 is configuredto include digital video recorder (DVR) functionality.

The client 104, and more particularly the communication module 124, isillustrated as including an audio manager module 128 which isrepresentative of functionality of the client 104 to manage audiostreams 116(1)-116(A), 122(1)-122(S) associated with television content114(n), 120(c), respectively. Although the following discussion willrefer to management of audio streams 116(1)-116(A) by the audio managermodule 128 of television content 114(n) received from the head end 102,it should be readily apparent that these techniques are equallyapplicable to management of other audio streams, such as the audiostreams 122(1)-122(S) of the television content 120(c) stored locally atthe client 104.

The audio manager module 128, for instance, may be configured toautomatically determine which of the audio streams 116(1)-116(A) tooutput automatically and without user intervention at the client 104.For example, the content manager module 126 may include an audioconfiguration module 130 that is representative of functionality togenerate data that describes the audio streams 116(1)-116(A) and/or topackage the audio streams 116(1)-116(A) with the television content114(n) for streaming to the client 104. The audio configuration module130 may set one of the audio streams 116(1)-116(A) as a default.Therefore, when the audio manager module 128 receives the televisioncontent 114(n) with the plurality of audio streams 116(1)-116(A), theaudio manager module 128 may output the default audio stream unlessotherwise directed.

The audio manager module 128 may also be representative of functionalitythat takes into account user preferences when managing the audio streams116(1)-116(A). The audio manager module 128, for instance, may output auser interface configured to accept user preferences. The userpreferences may then be used when managing audio streams 116(1)-116(A),such as which of the streams meet the preferences input by the user.When the preferences cannot be met, the audio manager module 128 maythen output the default audio stream as indicated by the audioconfiguration module 130 as described in the previous example, furtherdiscussion of which may be found in relation to the following figure.

It should be noted that one or more of the entities shown in FIG. 1 maybe further divided (e.g., the head end 102 may be implemented by aplurality of servers in a distributed computing system), combined, andso on and thus the environment 100 of FIG. 1 is illustrative of one of aplurality of different environments that may employ the describedtechniques.

Generally, any of the functions described herein can be implementedusing software, firmware, hardware (e.g., fixed-logic circuitry), manualprocessing, or a combination of these implementations. The terms“module”, “functionality”, “engine” and “logic” as used herein generallyrepresent software, firmware, hardware, or a combination thereof. In thecase of a software implementation, for instance, the module,functionality, or logic represents program code that performs specifiedtasks when executed on a processor (e.g., CPU or CPUs). The program codecan be stored in one or more computer-readable memory devices, examplesof which are shown in FIG. 2. The features of the techniques to manageaudio streams are platform-independent, meaning that the techniques maybe implemented on a variety of commercial computing platforms having avariety of processors.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary system 200 showing the head end 102 andthe client 104 in greater detail as streaming television content 114(n)associated with a plurality of audio streams 116(1)-116(A) over anetwork connection 110 to the client 104. The head end 102 and theclient 104 are illustrated in FIG. 2 as including respective processors202, 204 and memory 206, 208, and thus the client 104 of FIG. 2 isillustrated as a client device.

Processors are not limited by the materials from which they are formedor the processing mechanisms employed therein. For example, processorsmay be comprised of semiconductor(s) and/or transistors (e.g.,electronic integrated circuits (ICs)). In such a context,processor-executable instructions may be electronically-executableinstructions. Alternatively, the mechanisms of or for processors, andthus of or for a computing device, may include, but are not limited to,quantum computing, optical computing, mechanical computing (e.g., usingnanotechnology), and so forth. Additionally, although a single memory206, 208 is shown, respectively, for the head end 102 and the client104, a wide variety of types and combinations of memory may be employed,such as random access memory (RAM), hard disk memory, removable mediummemory, and other types of computer-readable media.

The head end 102 is illustrated as executing the content manager module126 having the audio configuration module 130 on the processor 202,which is also storable in memory 206. As previously described, the audioconfiguration module 130 is representative of functionality to configurethe audio streams 116(1)-116(A) for communication with the televisioncontent 114(n) over the network connection 110. In an implementation,the audio configuration module 130 encapsulates each of the audiostreams 116(1)-116(A) with the television content 114(n) to be streamedover the network connection 110, although other implementations are alsocontemplated, such as streaming particular audio streams as requested bythe client 104.

In at least one implementation, the audio configuration module 130 isalso representative of functionality to generate data 210 that describesone or more attributes 212(t) (where “t” can be any integer from one to“T”) of the audio streams 116(1)-116(A). A variety of differentattributes 212(t) may be described, such as through use of languagecodes 212(1) (e.g., English, Spanish, and so on), audio type 212(2)(e.g., format of the audio stream, such as in compliance with MPEG 2),quality 212(3) (e.g., standard or high definition audio), physical orderin a program map table 212(4), a sequence number 212(5) as well as“other” 212(6) attributes such as a textual description. Theseattributes 212(t) described by the data 210 may be configured to providea wide variety of functionality.

A convention, for instance, may be adopted where each audio stream116(1)-116(A) is assigned a respective program identifier (PID). ThePIDs may then be used to indicate a particular one of the audio streams116(1)-116(A) is to be used as a “default”, e.g., by using an audiostream having a “lowest” PID relative to other PIDs assigned to otheraudio streams, a “highest” PID, and so on. The PIDs may also be used toindicate a hierarchy of suggested audio stream consumption (e.g., fromhigh to low) through sequential ordering of the PIDs. Therefore, theaudio manager module 128 may take the “suggestions” of the head end 102indicated through use of the PIDs to select a particular one of theaudio streams 116(1)-116(A) to be output. Further discussion ofconfiguration of data 210 that describe attributes 212(t) may be foundin relation to FIG. 4.

In at least one implementation, the data 210 and the attributes 212(t)may be used by the audio manager module 128 as a basis to define one ormore preferences 214(p) (where “p” can be any integer from one to “P”)of a user to manage the audio streams 116(1)-116(A). The audio managermodule 128, for instance, may output a user interface that includes thedata 210 such that a user may specify desired attributes in audiostreams 116(1)-116(A) to be output at the client 104, such as particularlanguage, quality, and so on.

These preferences may then be used by the audio manager module 128 toselect an audio stream 116(1)-116(A) to be output with the televisioncontent 114(n) automatically and without user intervention. Forinstance, the preferences 214(p) may be applied to a plurality oftelevision channels thus enabling the user to navigate through thechannels without manually selecting different audio streams. A varietyof other examples are also contemplated, further discussion of which maybe found in relation to the following exemplary user interface.

Exemplary User Interfaces

The following discussion describes exemplary user interfaces that may beoutput by the previously described exemplary environment 100 and system200, as well as using other environments or systems. Thus, althoughportions of the following discussion refer to the environment 100 ofFIG. 1 and the system 200 of FIG. 2, the following discussion should notnecessarily be limited to that environment 100 or system 200.

FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary implementation 300 of a user interface 302that outputs data that describes attributes 212(t) of audio streams116(1)-116(A) associated with television content 114(n). The userinterface 302 includes a plurality of portions 304(1)-304(6) whichincorporate the data 210 that describes the attributes 212(t) of therespective audio streams 116(1)-116(A).

A user, for instance, may select portions 304(1)-304(3) for a languageselection, which are illustrated as “English”, “Spanish” and “Chinese”.A user may also select a level of quality based on another set ofportions 306(1)-306(2), which are illustrated as “high definition” and“low definition”. A variety of other attributes may be exposed by anetwork operator, and thus the network operator may influence choicesbased on the attributes that are exposed to the client 104. A user maythen select a “save” portion 308 to have these preferences stored by theclient 104. A variety of other techniques are also contemplated.

Referring now to FIG. 4, an exemplary implementation 400 of a userinterface 402 is shown in which a user may select from a plurality ofportions 404(1)-404(6) that represent respective audio streams. Thisuser interface 402 may be output in a variety of differentcircumstances. For instance, a user may select a preferred one of theaudio streams 116(1)-116(A) by selecting data 210 which describesattributes 212(t) of the audio streams 116(1)-116(A). In the illustratedexample, a user may select portion 404(3) which includes the data“Spanish 1 (High Definition)” which corresponds to a particular audiostream. The displayed attributes may then be stored as preferences214(p) which are used by the audio manager module 128 to select audiostreams 116(1)-116(A) for the television content that is associated withthe described audio streams in the user interface 402 as well assubsequent television content.

For example, the user may change a channel after making the selection inthe user interface 402 and have preferences 214(p) related to thatselection stored in memory 208 of the client. The preferences 214(p) maythen be used to choose an audio stream for television content on the newchannel. A variety of other user interfaces and techniques are alsocontemplated to specify the preferences 214(p), such as by specifyingparticular attributes manually by the user as previously described inrelation to FIG. 3, based on monitored interaction of the user withvarious audio streams and/or television content, and so on.

The user interface 402 may also be output to change a selection from oneaudio stream to another during output. For instance, a default audiostream may be output by the client 104, which is illustrated as theportion 404(1) having focus in the user interface 402. A user may theninteract with the user interface 402 to change to another one of theaudio streams (e.g., selecting portion 404(2) using a remote control)and have that selection stored for subsequent navigation, such as whenthe user navigates to another channel. A variety of other instances arealso contemplated, such as to manually select streams without the use ofpre-stored user preferences.

Exemplary Procedures

The following discussion describes audio stream management techniquesthat may be implemented utilizing the previously described environment,systems and devices. Aspects of each of the procedures may beimplemented in hardware, firmware, or software, or a combinationthereof. The procedures are shown as a set of blocks that specifyoperations performed by one or more devices and are not necessarilylimited to the orders shown for performing the operations by therespective blocks. In portions of the following discussion, referencewill be made to the environment 100 of FIG. 1, the system of FIG. 2 andthe embodiments 300, 400 of the exemplary user interfaces 302, 402 ofFIGS. 3 and 4, respectively.

FIG. 5 depicts a procedure 500 in an exemplary implementation in whichdata that describes attributes of audio streams associated withtelevision content is configured to indicate a default audio stream.Television content is obtained that is associated with a plurality ofaudio streams such that each of the streams is configured to be outputin conjunction with the television content (block 502). For example, thehead end 102 may receive television content 114(n) from the contentprovider 106 that includes the plurality of audio streams 116(1)-116(A).The audio streams 116(1)-116(A) may be configured in a variety of ways,such as audio for the television content 114(n) in different languages,having different audio types, having different levels of quality, and soon.

Data is generated that describes attributes of the plurality of audiostreams (block 504). A technician at the head end 102, for instance, mayinteract with a user interface output by the audio configuration module130 to specify attributes 212(t) of the audio streams 116(1)-116(A). Theattributes 212(t) may describe the audio streams 116(1)-116(A) in avariety of ways, such as by describing a makeup of the audio streams116(1)-116(A) themselves (e.g., language code 212(1), audio type 212(2),quality 212(3), textual description), how the audio streams116(1)-116(A) are provided and/or identified (e.g., a PID, physicalorder in a program map table 212(4), sequence number 212(5)), and so on.In another instance, the data 210 may be generated automatically by theaudio configuration module 130 without user intervention. A variety ofother instances are also contemplated.

One of the plurality of audio streams are set as a default using thegenerated data (block 506). As previously described, a convention may beadopted where each audio stream 116(1)-116(A) is assigned a respectiveprogram identifier (PID). The PIDs may then be used to indicate aparticular one of the audio streams 116(1)-116(A) is to be used as a“default”, e.g., by using an audio stream having a “lowest” or “highest”PID relative to other PIDs assigned to other audio streams. In this way,the audio configuration module 130 may specify which of the audiostreams 116(1)-116(A) is to be used as a default by providing that audiostream with “the lowest PID” or “the highest PID” depending on theconvention used. A variety of other examples are also contemplated suchas through use of a flag or other identifier in a program map table. Thedefault audio stream may then be output when an audio stream is notavailable that meets preferences 214(p) specified at the client 104,further discussion of which may be found in relation to FIG. 6.

The data is streamed to a client (block 508). For example, the data 210may be streamed with the television content and the plurality of audiostreams from the head end 102 to the client 104. In another example, thedata 210 may be provided separately from the television content 114(n).A variety of other examples are also contemplated.

FIG. 6 depicts a procedure 600 in an exemplary implementation in which auser interface is output to specify user preferences which has uniquerepresentations of audio streams that are generated from data thatdescribes the audio streams. An input is received to tune to televisioncontent (block 602). For example, the client 104 may include a remotecontrol which is configured to provide inputs to tune to a particularchannel, such as by using a “channel up” or “channel down” button,entering a channel number, selecting television content from anelectronic program guide (EPG), and so on.

Data is obtained that describes one or more attributes of a plurality ofaudio streams that are associated with the television content (block604). The audio manager module 128 of the client 104, for instance, mayobtain a program map table that includes data 210 describing one or moreattributes 212(t) as previously described in relation to FIG. 4.

A unique representation is generated of each of the audio streams (block606). The representation may be generated in a variety of ways. Forexample, a language code 212(1) may be taken from a program map tableand resolved to a corresponding language, such as English, Spanish, andso on. Additionally, an audio type 212(2) may be determined, such as aparticular format or standard with which the audio stream complies.Quality 212(3) may also be used, such as whether the audio stream isconsidered “high definition”, “standard definition”, and so on. Avariety of other examples are also contemplated such as physical orderof the audio streams 116(1)-116(A) in a program map table, a sequencenumber 212(5) which is added when each other attribute matches, and“other” 212(6) attributes 212(t), use of a textual descriptionassociated with the streams, and so on. In this way, the audio managermodule 128 may traverse a naming convention until a uniquerepresentation is generated.

One or more of the unique representations is output in a user interface(block 608). For example, the unique representations that incorporate atleast a portion of the data 210 that describes attributes 212(t) of theaudio streams 116(1)-116(A) may be output in a user interface, anexample of which is shown in the user interface 402 of FIG. 4. In thisway, each of the unique representations may be displayed in the userinterface to be selectable to cause output of a respective audio streamwith the television content.

In an implementation, the unique representations output in the userinterface are prioritized. For example, the unique representations maybe grouped based on language, with the most common languages beinglisted first. Unique representations within these groups may also beprioritized, such as based on quality of the audio (e.g., fromrelatively higher resolution to lower resolution). A variety of otherexamples are also contemplated to prioritize how the representations areordered in a display, one to another.

In a further implementation, the unique representations may be output topreserve “legacy” conventions. For instance, the unique representationsmay include data 210 describing attributes such that a first one of theunique representation as a “primary” and another one of the uniquerepresentations as a “secondary” in accordance with RTP Payload FormatRFC-2250. In another instance, a combination of RFC-2250 convention withan MPEG-2 convention may be utilized to describe a variety of audiostreams that are available for output in an order greater than “primary”and “secondary”, e.g., a listing of three or more streams in a numericalorder. A variety of other instances are also contemplated.

One or more inputs are stored that are received via the user interfacethat specify preferences for attributes of one or more of the audiostreams (block 610). For example, the use may specify attributes wheninteracting with a user interface such as “Spanish” and “HighDefinition” as illustrated in the user interface 302 of FIG. 3. Inanother example, the user may select a particular audio stream havingattributes which are then stored as the preferences, such as byselecting portion 404(3) of the user interface 402 of FIG. 4. A varietyof other examples are also contemplated.

Output of subsequent television content is managed based at least inpart on the preferences (block 612). For example, a determination may bemade as to which of the audio streams are to be output based on thepreferences (block 614), such as by matching attributes stored as partof the preferences 214(p) with attributes 212(t) of data 210 thatdescribes the audio streams 116(1)-116(A).

When a determination cannot be made based on the preferences, adetermination is made as to which of the plurality of audio streams isset as a default (block 616). Continuing with the example of FIG. 5, forinstance, a particular one of the audio streams 116(1)-116(A) may beselected which has a PID that is lower than the PID of other audiostreams that are associated with the television content 114(n). Avariety of other examples are also contemplated, such a through use of aflag, physical order within a program map table, and so on.

An input may then be obtained which changes the default audio stream foranother audio stream through interaction with the user interface (block618). A user, for instance, may interact with the user interface 402 ofFIG. 2 and note that the default audio stream is indicated by portion404(1) through use of a focus applied to that portion 404(1), e.g., theborder in the illustrated instance. The user may then select from theother portions 404(2)-404(6) to change to a respective audio streambased on the unique representations in the other portions 404(2)-404(6).In this way, the user is readily informed as to other choices that areavailable and the characteristics of those choices without having tocause output of the other choices. A variety of other instances are alsocontemplated.

Conclusion

Although the invention has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarilylimited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specificfeatures and acts are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing theclaimed invention.

1. A method comprising: generating a unique representation, based atleast in part using data received with television content, by a client,that describes attributes other than language code for each of aplurality of audio streams associated with television content receivedat the client; and displaying each said unique representation in a userinterface at the client to be selectable by a user to cause output of arespective said audio stream with the television content.
 2. A method asdescribed in claim 1, wherein the generating is performed in response toreceipt of an input to cause the client to tune to the televisioncontent.
 3. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the generating isbased at least in part using data received with the television contentthat describes attributes of the plurality of audio streams.
 4. A methodas described in claim 3, wherein the data is taken from a program maptable associated with the television content.
 5. A method as describedin claim 3, wherein the data is selected from a group consisting of: alanguage code; an audio type; quality; a textual description; physicalorder of references to the plurality of audio streams in a program maptable; and a sequence number.
 6. A method as described in claim 1,wherein the user interface is configured to change from a default saidaudio stream specified by a network operator to another said audiostream specified by the user.
 7. A method as described in claim 1,further comprising managing which of the plurality of audio streams isoutput for a plurality of television channels using one or moreselections made using the user interface.
 8. A method as described inclaim 7, further comprising prioritizing an order of how each saidunique representation is displayed, on to another, in the userinterface.
 9. A method as described in claim 8, wherein the prioritizingis performed such that a first said unique representation identifies afirst said audio stream as a primary and a second said uniquerepresentation identifies a second said audio stream as secondary. 10.One or more computer-readable storage media comprising executableinstructions that are executable to: configure data, which describes oneor more attributes other than language code of a plurality of audiostreams associated with television content, to specify a particular oneof the audio streams to be used as a default; and include the configureddata with the television content to be streamed to a client.
 11. One ormore computer-readable storage media as described in claim 10, whereinthe configuration of the data is performed by specifying particularprogram identifiers to one or more of the plurality of audio streams.12. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim11, wherein the audio stream which has a lowest said program identifier,in relation to other said program identifiers of other said audiostreams that are associated with the television content, is the default.13. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim10, wherein the executable instructions are further executable to streamthe configured data with the television content and the plurality ofstreams over a network connection to the client.
 14. A client comprisingone or more modules configured to determine which of a plurality ofaudio streams to output that are associated with television content whenan input is received to tune to the television content, wherein: thedetermination is based at least in part on one or more locally-storedpreferences, which describe one or more attributes, other than languagecode, associated with the plurality of audio streams, at least oneattribute of the one or more attributes associated with an audioquality; and when the determination cannot be made based on thepreferences, the determination is based at least in part on data, whichdescribes one or more attributes other than language code, associatedwith the television content indicating which of the audio streams is adefault.
 15. A client as described in claim 14, wherein thedetermination is made automatically and without user intervention usingthe locally-stored preferences previously provided by a user.
 16. Aclient as described in claim 14, wherein: the determination based on theone or more locally-stored preferences is performed such that when apreferred said audio stream is not available, another said audio streamin a similar language is output; and when the determination cannot bemade based on the one or more locally-stored preferences to find theother said audio stream, the determination is based at least in part onthe data associated with the television content indicating which of theaudio streams is the default.
 17. A client comprising one or moremodules that are configured to tune to television content and apply oneor more user preferences associated with an audio stream, other thanlanguage code, to determine which of a plurality of audio streamsassociated with television content are to be output, the one or moremodules further configured to indicate a hierarchy of suggested audiostream consumption associated with the plurality of audio streams.
 18. Aclient as described in claim 17, wherein the one or more userpreferences are applied automatically and without further userintervention to determine which of the plurality of audio streams tooutput.
 19. A client as described in claim 17, wherein the one or moremodules are further configured to output a user interface to specify theone or more user preferences.
 20. A client as described in claim 17,wherein the determination is based at least in part on data of in aprogram map table included with the television content.